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Residential wood pellet heating

Residential building space and water heating can be from the combustion of biomass. This could be in the form of solid wood, wood pellets, firelogs or briquettes.

Solid wood can be burned in open fireplaces which is banned in many regions of New Zealand as the wood fuel may be of variable composition and moisture content thus often having incomplete combustion and consequently producing smoke which is made up of particulates which can be injurious for health. Solid wood can also be burned in contained wood burners. Some regions of New Zealand approve only low emission burners. The Ministry for the Environment lists the makes and models of burner which are low emission burners. Solid wood burners require consents in order to be installed.

Wood pellets manufactured to the recommended fuel specifications have controlled composition and moisture content. Wood pellet fuelled heaters also have electronic controls which regulate the combustion. As a condsequence the wood pellet fuelled heaters have very good combustion and very low emssions to air. Wood pellet heaters are often permitted uses within some regions as the known emissions from the combustion of the wood pellet fuel is known to be within the Regional Air Plan emission limits.

To ensure that they are providing residential heating which is best practice Bioenergy Association members only supply wood pellets or wood pellet heaters which meat the relevant standards. ( Firelogs and briquettes have similar combustion characteristics to wood pellets and in this website are covered by the term - wood pellets.)

What’s on the residential wood pellet heating pages?

Use the quick links below to navigate the residential wood pellet heating webpages: